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August 20, 2016:

HARD PONDERING

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, one thing I’ve learned over the past two days is I do not like writing these here notes on my MacBook Air. Don’t like the keyboard for this much writing and the screen is too small. I hope after today’s notes I shan’t have to do them on this laptop again, save for when I travel. Also, I might write these here notes in a hurry for she of the Evil Eye will be here all too soon. So, here’s the latest and the greatest. I got seven hours of sleep. I took the computer to Burbank. I had an egg salad sandwich for lunch. I came home and the computer guy called and said he’d pretty much ascertained that the hard drive was okay and functioning but he could only keep the computer going for about ten minutes, at which point it would freeze. The first major problem was one of the cooling fans was broken. Don’t know how long that’s been but the computer two days ago was so hot you could barely touch it. So, that probably fried something. He fixed that and cleaned everything. But he kept having the freeze problem, where the screen would go wonky, things would fragment, etc. So, his first diagnosis was that the video card was done – that would explain most of the weirdnesses after the bad stuff happened on Wednesday.

So, he told me that of all the stuff that could happen, the video card was the most expensive to replace. He told me people usually end up buying a new computer rather than replacing, due to the cost. By the time you factor in the labor and everything, it’s over six hundred bucks, plus there’s no guarantee that other things are not working properly. This was upsetting to me and even more upsetting was the soonest we could get a new video card would be four to seven days. And so I had some hard pondering to do. I hate when that happens. I prefer soft pondering to hard pondering although I prefer hard pandering to soft pandering. What the HELL am I talking about?

After discussing the issue with several people I decided it was best to get a new computer, so Doug Haverty and I went to the Apple Store and chose the model he thought would suit me best (the middle of the three 27-inch models available. The sales guy agreed and thought it would be me just fine. And so, I got a magic trackpad rather than the wireless mouse, and of course it comes with a wireless magic keyboard. These are the newest generation and they’ve fixed the one thing I hated about the previous versions, both of which I had – the batteries. Two double A’s that usually only last a month or so. Now when juice is low you just plug it into the computer and it recharges. Why that didn’t occur to them before I have no idea. Because of this awful bank fraud crap I’ve been dealing with, Doug was kind enough to put this on his credit card and I’ll pay it when that bill arrives. We lugged the thing home, Doug left, and I got it all set up and plugged in, then called Apple to be there with me as I began the set-up. It’s actually fairly easy but no one told me that in order to even use it until the restore is done you have to plug in the keyboard and trackpad – I would have just gone berserk trying to figure that out. Once plugged in, I did the first few steps, got the restore from back up screen and it only gave me one option as to which back up to use, which was the last one it did before going haywire. So, that back up should be fine, at least I’m praying it’s fine. Please send strongest most excellent vibes and xylophones that the back up has no problems at all and that everything works as it should.

It took about an hour for it to do its thing in finding everything, then another forty minutes while it found documents and programs and then, at long last, it began restoring. The time estimates kept jumping – anywhere from twenty-five hours to eight hours, up and down, down and up. It’s moving very slowly and I probably won’t see it until morning, but that’s okay because if anything is wrong I’ll be able to immediately call Apple.

So, that was just about all of the day. I began the restore around six and it’s still doing it, not even halfway there yet, although I keep thinking that once it’s done all the huge stuff it will move faster. I went and got a Subway Club for my evening meal – total calorie intake about 1000 between the two sandwiches, and I did a shorter jog than usual. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched a homegrown DVD of the MGM musical, Give a Girl a Break. If you ever needed absolute proof whose mastery made Singin’ in the Rain, Mr. Donen or Mr. Kelly, one need only watch this film to see just how lead-footed Mr. Donen is, at least in this film. The film, considering its rather amazing writing team and songwriting team, is surprisingly bland, with a teeny-tiny plot, no characters to really invest in, but some really good songs and two great numbers. And yes, there’s the ubiquitous George Chakiris in the chorus. Even though the credit is musical numbers staged by Donen and Gower Champion, I don’t think there’s much doubt about who staged In Our United State – it’s Fosse all the way. For an eighty-two minute film, the pace is somewhat deadly. But Fosse is so great to watch, Debbie Reynolds is cute, and Marge and Gower Champion are not good actors, but their dance routines are sublime.

Today I’ll be up early and see what’s what with the new computer – hopefully I’ll have my desktop up and because it supposedly restores to exactly what was there, it should remember all passwords and other stuff. I’m hoping Word is okay, but I have the product key ready if I need to enter that, as I did when I got my laptop. Then I’ll jog, eat something light, hopefully pick up packages, then come home and if all is working I’ll spend the rest of the day doing the Kritzerland show order and write the commentary and we’ll also get the event page. The replacement guy I hired on Thursday dropped out last night – I’d finally found the second guy and then had to go find the first guy again, but thankfully I did and we’re fully cast and all the songs are chosen and I think it will be a really fun show. I have to get everyone their music, too. Then I’ll just relax.

Tomorrow is absolutely a ME day. Next week I have a ton of stuff to do including two post mortem meetings about the benefit – one with our team, one with the charity. If we do a show next year, many changes will be coming, that much I know.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, hopefully have my desktop on my computer and everything working as it should, I must jog, eat, hopefully pick up packages, get everyone their music, do a show order, and write some commentary. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite Debbie Reynolds movies and recordings? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have a new computer after hours of hard pondering.

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